Member-only story

The Guilt of Freelancing

It’s hard to not work a 9–5

Marisha-Jay
4 min readDec 9, 2021
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

For the most part I love freelancing. Whilst there are certain things about having a standard job that are easier (such as knowing how much you’ll get paid each month) for the most part I wouldn’t change a thing.

However, I didn’t realise freelancing came with a lot of guilt.

There seems to be an idealised image of the freelance world portrayed online. It’s usually shared by people who have escaped the mundane routine typing happily from a beach now that they are a digital nomad. It can make people still trapped in a ‘regular’ job jealous and makes freelancing seem perfect.

It turns out the reality of working this way is a lot harder.

People who hate their jobs are now jealous of me

A lot of people feel trapped in the world of work, I know I did. So, when someone ‘escapes’ it can lead to jealousy. Friends and family now see me as someone who has left a situation they are still stuck in.

I was ignored when I handed in my notice at my last job, by people who also wanted to work from home but didn’t have the same ability to quit.

Resentment is a hard burden to bear. I love not having to commute or sit in an office doing a job I don’t love and I feel…

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Marisha-Jay
Marisha-Jay

Written by Marisha-Jay

Usually writing or taking pictures

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